Quick: you have just enough time to visit one more winery before your dinner reservation! What do you do? Our go-to move? Ask another winery. Great things can happen. This time was no exception, because we ended up at Matanzas Creek Winery. The sun was setting, literally, on our Ballooning Over Sonoma tour. We had already enjoyed […]
The Paradise Ridge Winery may be the most honestly-named winery in history. It is certainly on a ridge, and the view is pure paradise. Sipping on some wine,taking in the art, the amazing facility and the endless vistas – what else could you need? Our Ballooning Over Sonoma tour was going quite well. The balloon ride was […]
Sometimes events beyond our control drive change with remarkable outsomes. Belletto Vineyards is perfect example. Starting as the largest vegetable producer in Sonoma county, weather changes and international trade agreements caused the Balletto family to shift their focus to growing wine grapes. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Our Ballooning Over Sonoma tour […]
The Martin Ray Winery in Santa Rosa is a small winery in a large facility. Small-lot attitude in a large wine making footprint. Finesse where it matters with muscle to get it done. We explored Martin Ray and celebrated the positive outcomes from this apparent contrast. Fresh from our morning floating across Santa Rosa in […]
Everyone has a bucket list. One entry on many people’s bucket list is riding in a hot air balloon. In our case, we not only wanted a balloon ride, but specifically a balloon ride over wine country. Our ride is over now, but the memories will last forever. Up, up and away! For most people, […]
Our “Champagne and More” was drawing to a close. We left a fun tasting at MacPhail Family Wines in The Barlow and walked a short distance down the street to another highly recommended tasting room: La Follette Wines. Once again, Bill Shortridge, of the Merry Edwards Winery, lead us to an amazing experience! While the MacFail […]
We were in downtown Sebastopol on our “Champagne and More” tasting tour, and life was looking pretty good! Bill Shortridge of the Merry Edwards Winery had recommended a lunch spot, called Zazu, that nothing short of incredible. More on that in a later post. Given the strength of Bill’s first recommendation, we couldn’t wait to […]
Before any significant wine tasting trip, we canvas our fellow wine lovers for their favorite wineries in the area. As we prepared for our “Champagne and More” wine tasting trip through the Russian River area, one winery was consistently mentioned by everyone we asked. That winery? The Merry Edwards Winery, of course. So sometimes I […]
Day two of our “Champagne and More” wine tasting tour got off to an uncharacteristically early start. Fortified by our Hampton Inn breakfast, we set off, intent on stopping in at two (at most) wineries and then checking out the Charles Schultz museum. Our first stop was described as a “can’t miss” by several well […]
Part of my Mother’s Day Sonoma “Champagne and More” Wine Tasting Trip was a stop at the Thomas George Estates Winery. The drive to the winery winds through beautiful woods fresh with country air (versus air that comes from living at the junction of 580 & 680), roadside blooms and birdsong. Upon our arrival, my […]
The Russian River “Champagne and More” tasting tour was going great! We had completed fantastic tastings at Korbel Champagne Cellars, the Hartford Family Winery and Moshin Vineyards. Next, we went from gravity flow wine making to gravity defying wine making: the Gary Farrell Winery. We wound our way up a gated private drive, ever climbing until I was […]